Once upon a time, there was a company that set out to decorate people’s homes with the most beautiful objects in the world. Maisons du Monde knew the objects were beautiful but wanted to know how they were produced.

Fabienne Morgaut, Head of Responsible Development, asked:

“How do our products impact the people and environments that contribute to their supply creation all along the supply chain?”

“Are these stories in line with our values and the sort of company we want to be?”

Working together

Maisons du Monde called TFT to help them find a sustainable supply of shisham wood.

We set up pilot projects in India to train and support local shisham farmers, to create clear and responsible supply chains and to support local communities.

The pilot projects help farmers share skills and knowledge on best practices and ultimately, connects them with the international market.

Benefits to farmers

With our support, MdM used the leverage they have as buyers, helping them to build proper relationships with factories and sawmills. This approach creates trust and innovation, not just control and compliance.

Now, nearly 800 farmers in Punjab and Haryana have joined a group with us and MdM which provides free seedlings, advice on management and a link to global markets. Our partnership with MdM also covers teak from Indonesian forests. By cutting out the middleman and selling timber straight to sawmills, farmers are able to earn more revenue.

Tales of the Indian lotus: meet the sawmill owners, farmers and stories within

Surendrapal Ji is a respected leader in his community; he is also a man with a distinctive vision, who dares to take a different path from the logic of the current system, and the wasteland it has created.

So when he first got in contact with MdM and TFT in early 2011, he quickly understood that working with other farmers for a better management of shisham could be a step in the right direction for the whole community and its environment. To this day, he works hard to bring more farmers to the project.

Traceability and transparency

We are helping MdM to share the story of their shisham and other wood products in a transparent and creative way. Anyone with a smartphone can scan the QR code on each piece of MDM furniture to find out where it’s from and how it was made.

This interaction is made possible by our SURE Technology – traceability and transparency from the tree to store.